Smith Incline Shoulder Raise
Trains the Serratus.
- Equipment
- A machine and an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set an incline bench under the bar of a Smith machine and lie back so the bar is above the upper chest.
- Take a grip about shoulder-width apart, unrack the bar and lock the arms out.
- Let the shoulders sink back towards the bench so the bar drops an inch or two, arms staying straight.
- Push the shoulders forward off the bench, raising the bar the same short distance.
- Hold at the top with the shoulder blades spread, then lower the shoulders back down.
- Repeat, then rerack by rotating the bar back onto its hooks.
Common mistakes
- Bending the elbows. The Smith machine's fixed path makes an accidental press easy; the arms stay locked and only the shoulders move.
- Going too heavy. The range is short and the muscles are small; a bar that needs a press to get moving is too heavy to raise with the shoulders alone.
- Shrugging towards the ears. The shoulders go forward along the bar's track, not up towards the head.
- Losing the movement in the bench. If the bar does not move at all, the shoulders are staying pinned to the pad rather than lifting off it.